Apparatus for belling and expanding coils

Abstract

A method and apparatus for belling and expanding the tubes of a plate fin heat exchanger that involves a gripper for gripping the tube during the belling operation and a clamp for clamping a tube sheet during the tension expanding operation.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An apparatus for belling tubes and then expanding the tubes in tension of a plate fin heat exchanger having a plurality of apertured plate fins parallelly spaced between two apertured tube sheets and a plurality of hairpin tubes extending through the apertures comprising: a gripper means for gripping an open end of the hairpin tube;   a beller means for belling said open end of the hairpin tube; said beller means slidable along a support rod and said support rod movably positioned within said gripper means;   an expander means attached to an end of said support rod for expanding the tube; and   a clamp means for clamping a tube sheet proximate the open end of the tube whereby the gripper means grip the tube to prevent the tube from moving during a belling operation and whereby said clamp means clamps said tube sheet proximate the open end of the tube to allow the belled end of the tube to move axially against said tube sheet and to restrain the tube from moving during expansion of the tube in tension expansion.   
     
     
       2. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said gripper means includes a pair of pivotal jaw pairs for frictionally gripping the tube. 
     
     
       3. The apparatus as set forth in claim 2 wherein said pair of pivotal jaw pairs include serrated teeth for frictionally gripping the tube.